Famous Sofas on TV

26-06-2013 16:08 (0 comments)

An alternative disquisition on the use of sofas as an instrument of entertainment

Figures released by Ofcom some time ago suggested that
people spend half their waking lives (about seven and a half hours a day) using
media and communications. While a large slice of this cyber-cake is concerned
with Internet usage, visual entertainment still dominates our
media-consciousness. The figure rises to nearly nine hours when taking into
account media multitasking (so, of course, when buying your sofa online at
english-sofas.co.uk you may be watching Mad Men or The Sopranos in your search
for identical contemporary furniture). The point I am labouring to make here is
that the sofa plays a subliminally dominant role in our lives. Having been
taught to make examples the dominant force in any literary pursuit I shall furnish
you with a couple rather mainstream references as evidence of the subversive
influence of couches and other inanimate objects of comfort.

‘Friends’. The TV
series. Not only are the producers of Friends veritable experts at product
placement – the La-Z-boy is consistently shone out of the backsides of
advertising executives willing to excrete pieces of furniture as a light
towards which the moths of the junior execs should follow – but it is the couch
of Central Perk that is the focus of Chandler’s failed sexual exploits or
Joey’s unnerving paradoxical success. Not once was one of those huge mugs of
coffee spilled on Gunther’s furniture, and never shall it be: it fetched a
princely sum along with other Friends memorabilia. A scene was once dedicated
to the fact that some ‘randomers’ had taken their place on the couch (these
randomers were no passers-by as anyone who has viewed a screen can attest to).
Perhaps the writers of Friends were following the example set by Matt Groening,
creator of ‘The Simpsons’ and long-time utiliser of furniture as a seemingly
endless source of comic debauchery. The various reincarnations of the opening
sofa scene constitute possibly the most memorable opening credit sequences of
any sitcom (cartoon or otherwise) ever. The couch in Springfield is possibly
more famous than Brangelina – you will no doubt be sure that I am not
exaggerating. And why are these two icons of the nineties dominated by what
seem to be mundane items of inconsequence? Find out next time on ‘The philosophy
behind the TV sofa. Part Two.’